Who am I?
by Mysterious Kat19
Summary: Mal is misunderstood and has to run. Short story, but I re edited. It's now a multi chapter, longer story.
1. Chapter 1

Mal snatches the wand from Jane's hand, and then watches as the magic, unbidden, lazily spirals upwards, turning purple. It feels...right. Like it belongs to her. She slowly lifts upward, levitating a few feet off the ground. She smiles. Wind picks up, blowing around the room. She raises the wand and…

And then she stops. What...what was she going to do with the wand? There really was nothing to do with it other than evil. Mal didn't want to be evil. She just wanted a normal life. She wanted to go to school, she wanted Ben as her boyfriend. She wants to have fun and be herself for, like, the first time in her life.

She turns to the crowd, and looks at their faces, gauging their reactions. They all look horrified. Her friends, Jay, Evie and Carlos...they're still in the balcony. Why are they still there? They were supposed to come down and help her. And Ben.

"You lied to me. You betrayed me. Y-you're evil," Ben says from behind her.

She hears a sword being drawn from its sheath. She turns around again to see Ben, the newly crowned King, pointing his sword at her. Ben's looking at her, his eyes full of pain and betrayal and so many questions. None come out though. But what does...

"Drop the wand," he yells, and then after a bit of hesitation, "Witch."

What does hurts. It hurts so so much. The words ring through the air. Mal freezes.

She's...a witch?

The wand clatters to the ground as her insides slowly numb. The wind screeches through the room momentarily before completely disappearing. The new King keeps his sword pointed at her and calls for the guards.

"Take her to the dungeons," he calls.

Mal looks into his eyes and pleads. It's a silent, hopeful plea, one that she hopes Ben will listen to. One she hopes he will understand.

Ben turns his head away, unable to look her in the eye.

Mal stays frozen, staring at Ben in disbelief, until the clanking armour of the guards makes her look up. They're coming to grab her. She tries to run, but somehow they manage to get ahold of her. As they drag her away, she struggles. Mal struggles like her life depends on it, and it probably does. She manages to break free just before they reach a place she was likely not to see the light again. She runs away, just trying to get far enough away. As far away as possible.

She doesn't look to her friends for help. Evie, Carlos and Jay, her friends, or at least she thought they were, have disappeared. They're gone.

* * *

Mal runs. She tears her dress so she can run better. She runs and she runs and she runs. She runs as far away as she can, as fast as she can. Her body is on autopilot. She runs, trusting her body to work on instinct. To not trip, to avoid, to escape. An instinct that was ingrained into her on the Isle.

She runs, her mind going into overdrive. It's overloading. Too much has happened. She was betrayed by her friends. By Ben. She tells herself not to cry. Don't cry don't cry don't cry. Her mind repeats the mantra over and over and over and over. Her mind whispers to her. It whispers sweet little nothings that are supposed to comfort her. They don't. She has nothing and no one left. She's on her own. Alone, for the first time in her life.

 _Like you ever had anyone,_ a nasty little voice whispers to her.

She wonders if she'll ever see her friends again.

 _Nice little traitors they are._

She wonders if her mom - no, Maleficent - cares enough to find her.

 _Love is weak. It makes people weak._

Yes, yes it is. This is why all that she has left is a million pieces of a shattered heart. Her own heart.

Without her knowing, her body brought her to the Lake. The Enchanted Lake. Ben. This is where Ben decided to stay with her even though the love potion washed off. Where her first date was. Where she first tasted strawberries.

She throws herself in the Lake, and desperately starts scrubbing at her skin. It can wash away enchantments, so maybe it can wash away that evil part inside of her. Then she'd never have to worry again. Maybe it would wash her away entirely, leaving a completely new person in her place. Maybe she wouldn't even be there anymore.

She keeps scrubbing. She scrubs her arms, her legs, her face. Any patch of skin she can reach. She scrubs herself with the water and her palms and her nails. Anything to try and wash herself away.

Soon, her skin is rubbed raw, and bleeding from deep deep scratches. She stops because she knows that nothing has changed. Why would it? That would be to nice, to easy. You can't be nice to evil. That's being too nice.

She's still here, she knows nothing has changed. Still numb, and now cold from the water, she walks over to the little white pavilion. She pulls herself up on it, and sits on the edge. Her feet absentmindedly move in the water.

She's so cold now. Both inside and out. There's nothing left inside of her except for sharp edges and broken hearts and black holes. She knows that's all there is because it's all she can feel. The night air brings dropping temperatures and cold wind. She doesn't shiver. She's hollow. There's nothing for the wind to touch, except her own evil. Evil doesn't get cold.

 _That's all you'll ever be, Rotten to the Core,_ the nasty voice whispers again.

Is it? Mal doesn't know anymore. Who is she?

She's not a princess. The coronation proved that.

She's not good. She knows that already.

She's not her mother's daughter anymore. Maleficent never showed.

She's not brave. She ran away from everything.

She's not smart. Her plan was so full of holes, holes that led her to ruin.

She's not strong. The guards almost got her to the dungeon.

She's not a leader. Her friends left her alone.

And she's not loveable. Ben... Ben…

Mal finally allows herself to cry. Ben is the breaking point, and in this place, she can't forget anything. All of it reminds her of Ben. She hunches over, and she grabs her middle. She cries and cries and cries. She knows she's already falling apart. She wonders how long it will take to fall apart completely.

As she cries she can't help but wonder if she'll ever get Ben back. It's so selfish. Villains and Witches and Evil People don't get anything nice or special or wonderful. Or anything at all. So why hope.

The sky's so clear tonight that Mal feels even more horrible. It's mocking her. Of course it can't rain. That's what the Witch wants. Villains and Witches and Evil People don't get anything at all.

She tries to erase Ben from her mind. But all she can think of is Ben. Her memories of him are not happy now. They used to be. The words he said seem to echo across the Lake, even though she didn't speak out loud.

 _Lied to me... Lied to me... lied... me…_

She didn't mean to. She never did. But… didn't she?

 _Betrayed me.. Betrayed me... betrayed... me…_

She wonders if she's a traitor now. She betrayed him. Them. Everyone.

 _Evil... Evil... evil... evil…_

She still can't help but wonder how it went so wrong.

 _Betrayed me.. Betrayed me... betrayed... me…_

She… she still wants to be accepted. Could she ever now?

 _Lied to me... Lied to me... lied... me…_

She's still so confused and empty. Who is she anymore?

 _WITCH_


	2. Chapter 2

When dawn approaches, Mal is still sitting by the lake. She had not moved, not one bit. She seemed to be frozen, and not even the morning sun could thaw her out. Blood is dripping down her body still, and she has made no attempt to wash herself off. The ground around her is a rusty reddish color.

Bushes rustle and sticks snap. The people behind her start whispering.

"You think that's her?"

"Yeah."

"But she's all bloody!"

"We have to do our job."

"This is way outside our job!"

"It's not what we normally do, but still our job."

Mal determines that these are the guards, but still she doesn't move. What's the point? She's not wanted. She'd dead inside. Might as well get the rest to match. It's not like anyone cares. Why would they? She's evil. She's a witch.

She speaks to them, still not moving. When she does, her voice croaks out,

"I can see you and I can hear you

Though you come, I do not fear you.

Death is near, execution nigh,

But I don't care, I want to die."

This startles them into silence, and they approach slowly. Mal doesn't move, and they take so long getting to her that she sighs. She turns around and looks at the two guards and speaks again, saying,

"Do not worry,

I won't run or flee or cry.

What point is there,

When I must die."

She can see that they are unsettled by her. They don't want to be anywhere near her. Normally, she would sneer because she can see they've never had any hardships, but she doesn't move anymore. She can feel this heavy look on her face, one that forces her eyes downward. Oh well.

The guards reach her and they roughly grab her arms, pulling her up. One of them has to hold her up while the other pulled her arms behind her back. The guard holding her arms pulls out handcuffs and clasps them around her wrists. He tightens them so that they dig into her bleeding skin, treating her as roughly as he can

None of this prompts Mal to move. She doesn't fight them, but she doesn't cooperate either. It's almost like she's a doll, useless unless someone moves her. She feels heavy, so so heavy, like something invisible is weighing her down. She's also tired, oh so very tired, and she wants to go to sleep and never wake up. Maybe her wish will come true soon.

They lift her up and start dragging her along, not caring that they're hurting her even more. Mal's legs dangle down, her feet dragging across the ground, They drag her over rocks, logs, poison ivy and stinging nettle. Branches sticking out from the sides scratch her up even more, tearing her dress and drawing more blood. By the time they get out of the forest, her dress is unsalvageable and her feet are so torn up and swollen that it's painful just to look at them.

They drag her over the grass and onto the street. A trail of blood is smeared behind them. They have now reached the outskirts of the town. People are looking at them from the windows, some making calls while others head out to line the streets. They all watch first with curiosity, and then with hatred, and then loathing. They keep a respectful distance until someone yells, "It's the Witch! Get her!"

The crowd rushes towards her, intent on maiming and killing. The beautiful Auradon citizens have thrown of their illusions and now show how vicious they are, how everything is not perfect like it seems to be at first glance. They yell and shout and throw what they can get their hands on at her. One of the guards frantically takes out a walkie talkie and calls for backup.

Guards push through the crowd and then shove them back, creating a path for the two guards to drag her. As more people gather, Mal feels a spark of…pride? Defiance? Whatever it is, it comes from the part of her that she knew had died. But still, she struggles to her feet. The guards tighten their hold on her, not about to let her run away, but that is not her intent. She gets to her feet and takes a shaky step forward. And then another. And then another. She forces her chin up, her head to lift, and she stares ahead. She will not die disgraced. The guards tighten their grips even further. She glares at the guards, who quickly let go. She returns to staring ahead.

She walks forward, through the people yelling and screaming. She does not react to her screaming feet, or the objects bouncing off of her. And in the crowd, she sees a few people looking at her with sadness in their eyes. To those, she gives a quick, small nod. They understand what's happened to her. They see her dead eyes. They went through it themselves, and they know what it's like.

Eventually, Mal reaches the castle. The moment the gates close behind her, shutting everyone out, she collapses. The guards exchange glances, grudgingly impressed, before they haul her to her feet again. They drag her forward, up the steps, to where the newly crowned King is. She doesn't even bother to lift her head, letting it hang.

"Put her in the dungeons," he says, and then turns and walks away.

Tears start to sting at Mal's eyes, and she desperately wants them to disappear. She gave so much to him, and then he turned around and threw it away without a second thought. She wishes for the tears to disappear, because _he_ doesn't deserve them. Not one bit. She orders them to stop, fighting the part in her that had died. And then that dead part vanishes, like it was never there.

Mal starts laughing. It starts out small and shaky, but then grows in volume until this screeching, maniacal laugh is shaking her body. The guards look at her like she's crazy, but she doesn't care. What do they matter? She's dead soon. Then nothing will matter. The whole world doesn't matter anymore. Nothing's left, so she'll give nothing in return.

She yells,

"Little Kingling, run away

Like a coward, like prey

And then will come a day

When you wish I never came!"

The King had already turned to look at her while she laughed, and upon hearing this, he said coldly, "I already wish that."

Mal tilts her head to the side. Her eyes grow big. A smile creeps up on Mal's face, unnaturally wide, and she laughed again before saying,

"The Little Kingling put up a fuss,

But whatdoya know? He has guts."

Mal starts laughing again, and the King gestures for the guards to takes her away. They drag her away, up the step but they go to the right instead of going through the center. She is dragged through stone hallways to a door. It's a heavy oak door, reinforced with metal. The hinges creak as it is opened. She is dragged down stairs, the air getting colder the deeper down they go. They get to the bottom, and walk along a long line of cells. All of them are empty.

They put her in the last cell. They don't throw her down, but they leave immediately after. They aren't worried that she'll get up, because they know that her energy is gone. Mal stays laying on the ground, only moving to flip herself onto her back. As they walk away, one of them guards takes out a handkerchief and starts wiping off the blood staining his hands. The oak door slams shut, the sound echoing through the hallway. The sound is quickly masked by an enraged voice shouting, "KINGLING!"

The shout echoes throughout the dungeon, traveling up the stairs and to the throne room where the King is sitting. He shivers. The monster in the basement is out for blood.


	3. Chapter 3

Mal had been in her cell for about two days, if she counted by meals. She never had the energy to get up and eat, but she knew she got three meals a day. She almost laughed. Three meals a day. She's a prisoner, and she gets treated like she's been sent away for a timeout. She doesn't even have any guards watching her.

Mal hadn't moved since she was put in the dungeon. Everything ached, and it hurt to move. A few times a day, her stomach growled, but Mal just ignored it. Death was fast approaching, and it wasn't like she could feel anything anyways. She was numb.

The cell door creaked, and Mal forced her eyes open. Another serving girl had brought food. She let her eyes close. She wasn't going to eat. There was some shuffling, but the cell door didn't close. Mal opened her eyes again to see the serving girl hovering over her with a chunk of bread.

"You need to eat," she says.

Mal turns her head to the side.

"You need to eat," she repeats, holding the bread out to her.

Mal glares at her.

The girl forces the bread into her mouth, and hold her hand over Mal's mouth until Mal swallows the bread. She gingerly sits Mal up, and then looks at all the food on the tray. She grabs the soup, and starts to feed Mal.

At first, Mal tries to resist, but then she chooses to let the girl feed her. It was either that or getting the soup spilled all down her front. When the bowl is about halfway finished, Mal finds herself full. She pushes the next spoonful aside, and the serving girl puts it back down on the tray.

The girl carefully lays Mal back down, picks up the tray, and walks out the door. She closes it, and turns to leave when Mal asks, "Why?"

She turns back to look at Mal and she says, "Not everyone wants to see you die."

Then she leaves, and Mal is left sitting there, thinking about what she said. Who could be left that would want her to live? But now, she's tired. The soup was warm, and now she's full, and it's making her sleepy. She closes her eyes, and drifts off to sleep.

* * *

When Mal woke up, she felt like she was burning up. The whole cell seemed hot, but the floor felt soooo cool. Mal shifted, trying to press up against the floor even more, and then she screamed. A burning pain shot up her legs, agonizing pain that would have crippled her if she was standing.

She stays still, and the pain recedes to a throbbing, dull ache. She pants, trying to get air back into her lungs again. Nice, cool air. She doesn't move again, afraid of the pain returning. Auradon really had spoiled her.

Time passes. It shifts from time to time, sometimes passing by quickly in a blurry haze, sometimes passing by slowly, drawing out the pain. Mal thought she saw the serving girl arrive again, but nothing's certain. Everything is starting to blur together, the only constant being the pain in her legs.

She drifts out of consciousness again.

* * *

She wakes up to fingers prodding her legs and her feet, which creates bursts of pain. She tries to move her legs away, but her muscles are not listening to her. She tries to lift her head to see who's hurting her, but all she can manage is to moan. Her head rolls to the side.

"She's awake," a voice says.

Someone lifts up her head and puts it on something soft. She looks up, and through her blurry vision, she sees blue hair.

"Evie? Tha' you?" she slurs.

The person stiffens and looks up at someone else. Mal doesn't bother to look over and continues talking to her.

"I miss yooou. Bu' you came back. 'M happy. Was lonly," she says.

"Shhh," Evie says, "Just be quiet."

"Why? Wanna talk to you."

"You're sick. We need to take care of you. Okay?"

"Jay n' Carlos ere too?"

"Yes. But you need to rest now. Go to sleep."

"Kay."

Mal closes her eyes again and goes back to sleep.

* * *

When Mal wakes up again, she lies still for a moment. She's afraid to move, but she knows she's going to have to. She takes a deep breath, and then shifts her legs. Pain shoots up her legs, but not as intense as before. She struggles up onto her elbows, and the first thing she notices is that she's on a bed. Not in the cell.

The room is small and white. The door is iron door, closed. There are no windows to the room. The only light comes from the florescent lights above her.

She lifts up the sheet that covers her legs and sees that her legs and feet have been bandaged. In fact, any patch of skin that had been scratched up is covered.

The door opens, and a person walks in. He has gray hair and wire framed glasses on his face.

"Hello, my dear," he says, "I see you've woken up."

"What happened?" Mal asks.

"You had an infection, as well as a high fever. I had to clean your wounds and give you antibiotics. You've been out for three days."

"Oh," says Mal.

So, her friends hadn't really been here.

The doctor sees her face fall and asks, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

"Actually, yes. Why was I healed?"

The doctor's eyes dart away, but then he looks back at her and says, "The King ordered it. He wants you alive."

Suddenly, it's like a switch has gone off. Mal starts speaking, but it's in rhymes again.

"The Kingling, hmm?

Why's he want me alive?

What's the point?

I'm a criminal, I must die."

The doctor looks a bit startled at the sudden change, but he says, "He wants you alive for the... the execution."

Mal starts to laugh. It echos around the room. The guards outside can hear it faintly, and they shiver.

The laugh cuts off abruptly, and Mal looks down. When she looks up again, tears are shining in her eyes. The doctor is taken aback. Her personality kept changing. Bipolar, or maybe DID?

Her voice quavers as she asks, "Ben ordered that?"

"Yes, he did," he says.

He has no idea what to do. He's not used to dealing with people, let alone someone about to cry. He's saved from having to do something when the door slams open. The King walks in, followed by the two guards from outside.

His head whips back to look at Mal, but her face is both ice cold and blank at the same time. The only way that you could tell she had been crying would be if you had been there. He scoots towards the door and leaves as fast as he can. He doesn't want to be caught in the middle of this.

Mal says,

"Little Kingling, up on a throne,

You won't bring me anywhere near home.

You're here to send me to die.

Well guess what. I won't cry."

The King glares at her before saying, "Yes, you are going to be executed. Right now, in fact. Do you have a final wish? I do not guarantee that it will be granted."

Mal's face softens into a melancholy expression. She asks, "Can you send the guards out of the room? I promise I will not attack you."

She looks at the floor, waiting for rejection.

Ben waves his hand, sending the guards out of the room. Mal looks up, surprised. She takes a step forward, and then she leans in and kisses him. Ben stiffens, but by then Mal has stopped.

"Good bye," she says softly, and then she walks out of the room.

The guards grab her by the arms, and lead her out of the castle and to the courtyard. They lead her up the steps of a makeshift stand.

Mal looks out at the crowd. She cannot see an ounce of sympathy in anyone's face. Most of them are jeering at her. The royals are sitting behind her in the balcony. She steps up to the block, and kneels down.

The King stands up, quieting the crowd, and calls out, "Anything left to say?"

Mal says, "I curse this city, I curse the people, and I curse you. One day, you will face destruction, and you will regret this."

The King just sighs and waves his hand, signaling the executioner.

The executioner steps up beside her and raises his blade.

Mal closes her eyes.

The axe swings.

Thunk.


	4. Chapter 4

The axe hits wood with a solid thunk.

Blood flies through the air.

The crowd stands silent.

The witch is gone.

Literally.

The axe had flown through the air, nicking King Ben on the neck, before it embedded itself in the wood beside his head. The executioner had thrown it at him, taken the prisoner, and run. The crowd was shocked. This had happened in the first week of the King's coronation.

People in the crowd started to talk, whispering to each other;

 _What happened?_

 _She cursed us, right?_

 _Is it beginning?_

 _What kind of King is this?_

 _Why's he still sitting there?_

The whispers grew in volume until there were people shouting at the stage, demanding answers.

The previous King rose up and walked to the front of the balcony and raised up a hand. A silence fell over the crowd as they waited for him to speak.

"Dear citizens," he began, "What has transpired here was not caused by the witch. She had instructed someone to rescue her. This was mere coincidence. We will send troops to recapture her and anyone who assisted her. Do not worry. We will protect this kingdom!"

A cheer rose up from the crowd, roaring throughout the castle. The sound spills out to the surrounding town, catching up with four figures. They hop into a car and drive away.

* * *

Mal closes her eyes. She can hear the axe whistle through the air. But she doesn't die. She's yanked to her feet, and dragged off of the platform. She opens her eyes, and looks at the person dragging her along.

"Jay?"

"Hi, yeah, we gotta go. We can talk later."

He continues to drag her along, a firm grip on her wrist. Mal stumbles, struggling to keep up. She trips and falls, but Jay swings her up into his arms and keeps running. They burst out through a set of doors, and then they're out. Two more people are waiting.

Mal's tired, almost asleep by now, but she manages to say, "Evie. Carlos. You're here."

"Of course we are," Evie says, "But shhhh. We have to get you out of here."

They hustle her into the car as a loud cheer rushes down the street. The door slams, and Jay hits the gas, driving away as fast as he can.

Mal feels a bit terrified. Why did they rescue her? What did they want with her?

Mal tries to stay awake, but she was so exhausted from, well, everything. Her eyes close on their own, and she is thrust into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

When Mal wakes up again, she's laying in a bed. Someone moves beside her, and she flinches away.

"Mal, it's just me," the person says.

Evie.

"Mal," she says, "Can you tell me what happened to you? Did Ben do this?"

Mal looks down at her blanket and runs her fingers along the edges. Why is Evie worried? She left Mal on her own.

"What's wrong?" Evie asks, sounding concerned.

Mal just shakes her head. She's not going to trust her. Not going to trust anyone ever again. She only ends up getting hurt because of it.

"Alright. Do you want Carlos and Jay to come in? They're worried about you."

Mal thinks about it for a moment before nodding her head slightly. Despite the fact that she no longer trusts, she still wants to see them. They were precious to her, after all.

Evie calls, "Okay guys, you can come in."

Mal flinches as the door to the room bangs open, but she manages to sit still as Carlos runs over and hugs her. Mal expected this. Carlos would have been worried about her, even though he abandoned her. They all did. Jay walks in, and he sits beside her on the bed. He seems slightly relieved upon seeing her.

"It's good to see you Mal," Jay says.

Carlos just hugs her tighter. Mal's starting to feel trapped. She's being held in place with no escape. Her breathing starts to pick up.

"Carlos," Evie says, "She needs to breathe."

Carlos lets her go, saying, "Sorry," but he looks so happy and relieved that Mal can't hold it against him.

But why would they care?

"What happened? At the ballroom?" Evie asks.

Mal shrinks back, into the corner that the bed is pressed up against. She pulls the blanket up, as if it could protect her. She doesn't answer, studying the blanket. She can't bring herself to answer. She doesn't want to be hurt again.

"Mal?" Jay asks, "You okay?"

Mal doesn't answer. She doesn't trust them. She doesn't trust her voice. She doesn't trust.

"Mal, sweetie," Evie says, "Could you please tell us?"

Mal stays quiet, still looking down at her lap. She fiddles with the bandages on her arms. She can feel a lump in her throat, but she doesn't want to cry. She's not supposed to. She shouldn't. Tears start to gather in her eyes, and it takes a lot of effort to keep them back. She's trying her hardest not to cry, especially not in front of them. She can feel them staring at her.

Just when she feels like she might start crying, a little notebook and a pen are shoved into her line of vision. She looks up, startled, to see Carlos offering them to her. She shakes her head. She doesn't want to share. She's still got a lump in her throat, but at least she's not going to cry anymore.

"Just one word?" Carlos begs.

Mal remembers that they had done this to get Carlos to talk to them after Cruella went overboard.

"Please?" Carlos begs.

Mal sighs quietly, and then sticks out her hand. It's hard to deny Carlos anything. Carlos' face lights up again as he hands the notebook and pen to her. Mal takes it and sets the pen on the paper, but she doesn't know how much she wants to reveal.

She starts to argue with herself.

 _They'll understand._

 _ **They left you.**_

 _They came back._

 _ **So what. They can leave you just as fast.**_

 _No they won't. They're the people I trust._

 _ **Did trust. Not anymore.**_

 _Too bad. I'm going to tell them._

Before she can think herself out of it, she writes down a word, shoves it at them, and then she ducks under the covers. It's dark and warm and safe under here. She doesn't have to face them. She doesn't have to talk about what she wrote. She tunes out the rest of the world, trying to forget everything.

Someone touches her knee, and she tenses, afraid they'll corner her and force her to talk, but Evie's voice asks, "Do you want to be alone?"

She nods. She doesn't know if anyone will be able to see it, but she can hear the door shut, so she assumes they did. She waits for a few more moments, straining to hear anything. She can hear a few clatters outside the room, but the inside of the room is silent. She lowers the sheet just enough so that she can see the room. No one is inside.

Her sadness hits her like a rampaging bull, bringing up anything painful that she can remember. Ben. The failed plan. Abandonment. Loss. Hurt. Anything that could possibly make her sad resurfaces, intent on causing her as much pain and suffering as possible.

Her shoulders start to shake, and tears stream down her face. She's trying not to cry, trying to hold the tears in, but they overflow from her eyes. She can't hold them back. She's not making any noise yet. She's glad for that. She doesn't want anyone to be around her. To worry about her. Why would they? She's evil.

She's tired of people.

She grabs her blanket and heads to a corner of the room, on the other side of a dresser, and sits down, wrapping the blanket around her. The floor feels more comfortable than the bed at the moment. It feels more appropriate. She pulls the blanket back over her head, and the tears keep streaming down her face.

But now, she wants to scream. She wants to scream and let out the pain and the misery, to let the world know what it has done to her. But that would draw attention. Sobs start to make noise, accompanying her exhales. She puts her hand over her mouth, muffling the small noises that are starting to get out. She can't let anyone know. The closest people are just downstairs.

Her other arm curls around her middle and clutches her side, like it's the only thing keeping her together. Her breathing is shallow, and her sobs are shaking her body now. Horrible thoughts are running through her mind, full of anguish, self-hate, anger and a deep, bone aching sorrow.

A knock sounds on the door, frightening her. Please don't let someone enter. Please don't let them see. Mal abruptly cuts off her sobs, holding her breath. Her shoulders tense.

"Dinner's ready," Evie says, "If you want to come down."

Mal hears footsteps walking away. She swipes at her eyes, wiping away tears. She's angry at herself now, angry that she let herself cry. Someone almost found out.

There's a delicious smell wafting up from downstairs. Mal hears her stomach growl, but she doesn't feel hungry. Right now, all that she feels is hollow. She almost decides not to go down, but then realizes that she hasn't eaten for a while, not including the time she was asleep, and that she probably should.

She's supposed to stay alive, right?

She stands up, and looks in the mirror hanging on the door. It's easy to tell that she's been crying. Her eyelashes stick together, and her cheeks are flushed. She presses her cold hands to her cheeks, willing the red color to fade. No one should know that she's been crying. Crying is for the weak.

After a few moments, when her cheeks are pale again, Mal opens the door. She walks into the hallway, the blanket still draped over her shoulders. It drags behind her. Her feet make no noise on the wood floor, other than an almost inaudible creak when she reaches the stairs.

She notices that everyone's downstairs, and she's grateful for that. She doesn't want anyone to see her. Not until she chooses to let them. She walks quietly down the stairs and turns the corner, entering the kitchen. Mal hears her stomach growl again.

She hears someone approaching, and she pulls the blanket tighter around her. Mal watches as Evie walks into the kitchen and spots her.

"Mal!" she exclaims, "It's good to see you down. Here, the table's this way."

Mal lets herself be led to the table, where Jay and Carlos are sitting, tearing into chicken and mashed potatoes. Evie leads her to a chair, and sits beside her. She hands Mal a plate, which already has food on it. Mal starts to eat.

She watches as Carlos and Jay joke around, and she's glad that they're not acting different around her. She doesn't want to be treated as fragile. She doesn't want to be treated with concern. She doesn't deserve it. She's evil. Evil doesn't get good. Doesn't get love.

"Wait!" Evie cries, jumping up, "I forgot!"

She runs to the kitchen, disappearing from view. Mal can hear the fridge open and bags rustle as Evie looks for whatever it was she needs. Evie runs back into the room carrying a little box.

"Here you go!" she says, giving it back to Mal as she sits back down.

Why would she give Mal get something?

Mal opens it, and inside lay ruby red strawberries. They bring back so many different, conflicting, emotions and memories. She stares at them, and she zones out. Strawberries. Ben. The Enchanted Lake. Date. Picnic. Love. Loss. Hurt. Pain. Pain pain painpainpainpainPAINPAINPAINPAINPAIN.

PAIN.

Mal blacks out.


	5. Chapter 5

When Mal wakes up, she's laying in a bed She hears someone crying, and she looks over to see Evie crying. Why was she crying?

"Evie," she said, "What's the matter?"

Evie looks startled, and then darts in and hugs her, saying, "Mal! You woke up!"

"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?"

"You passed out, after seeing the strawberries."

"There were strawberries!? You mean, actual, fresh fruit!?"

"...Mal?"

"How were they? I've always wanted strawberries."

Evie looks worried, and she asks, "Mal … you know what strawberries are."

"I do? Don't be silly. We don't ever get strawberries."

"Why not?"

"The barges that bring the food over always has old food. You know that. Nothing is ever fresh on the Isle."

Evie gasp, her hands flying to cover her mouth. She looks like she's going to cry again. Why would she? What was the matter? Mal didn't understand.

"I… do you want to see Carlos and Jay?" Evie asked, her voice trembling.

"Yes!" Mal cheered. They would help make Evie happy again.

"Jay, Carlos," Evie calls, "You need to get in here."

They walk in, looking confused. Evie had sounded so serious.

"What's wrong?" Carlos asked.

"I already asked," Mal chirps, "But Evie won't say. You should help me cheer her up!"

"Are you alright Mal?" Jay asks.

"Yes. Why do people keep asking," Mal grinds out, "It's not as if there's something wrong with me Stop acting weird already!"

Both Jay and Carlos look startled, and they look at Evie.

"You know what," Mal growls, "I'm going outside. I'm going to go beat someone up. It's obvious that none of you want me here."

"Wait!" Evie cries, causing Mal to pause, "We're just...um…"

"Just what."

"Mal, just trust me. Please. Stay inside."

"Why? It's not like the Isle has gotten more dangerous in the last few minutes."

She can hear Jay and Carlos gasp, and she throws her hands up, marching out of the room. She can hear people scrambling after her, but she stomps down the stairs and then throws open the door. The scene revealed to her is a lush green forest. She stumbles back, blinking rapidly. This isn't real, right?

She closes the door, and then opens it again. The forest is still there. She feels a gentle hand on her back, and she allows Evie to guide her over to the table. Numbly, she sits down. Carlos and Jay leave the room, leaving Mal alone with Evie.

"What...what's going on?" she mumbles.

"We're in Auradon," Evie says.

"Why would we be in Auradon?"

"We were invited here by the prince, who is now the King. We were supposed to steal the wand to help your mother. The barrier around the island did break, and your mother did appear, but you defeated her in a battle of wills. The barrier was then put back up, and we are safe now."

"Why don't I remember any of this?"

"..."

"Why?"

"Uh, you had been searching for a relic, but it was cursed, and when you touched it, it removed a few years worth of memories."

"Why would I search for a relic?"

"It was for one of your spells."

"Magic works?"

"Yes. We are outside of the barrier, remember?"

"Oh. Um, Evie? My head hurts. Would it be alright if I went to bed?"

"Yes, it would. I'll see you in the morning, okay M?"

"Okay. Night."

"Night."


	6. Chapter 6

Evie leaves the room, and Mal is up and out the window. Evie's hiding something, and Mal's going to figure out what it is.

She jumps out the window, and down to the ground, and then she takes off running. She makes it to a road, which she follows until she sees lights in the distance.

She runs towards the town, and when she nears it, she heads into the woods. If it is in fact Auradon, she's going to hide. There's no way that they would let the children of of villains into their perfect little town.

She darts into the city, staying out of the light. She can hear clanking, signaling guards. After a few to many close calls, she takes to the roof. Up here, it's quiet. She jumps from roof to roof.

She travels through the town, searching for any clues. Any at all. She sees a poster hanging on a wall, and she jumps down to get a closer look at it. She sees her face, as well as Evie, Jay and Carlos. She was right. They aren't welcome.

Her instinct jumps to life, telling her to run and get out of there. She listens, and takes off running. She knows that she's faster than the guards, and that she can get away, so she runs down the main road. She hears a shout, and guards start going after her.

They get closer, and she pushes herself to go faster. Why is it so hard? Wasn't she faster?

She makes it to the forest with the guards at her heels. There, she darts through trees, weaving and dodging. She can hear her pursuit get further and further away, but there's one set of footsteps that keeps up with her.

"MAL!" a man's voice yells.

How does he know her name? Mal's starting to get tired now, so she decides to make her way to the cabin. Her friends can take care of him.

Mal sees the light of the cabin, and puts on a burst of speed. If she can just get there….

Mal bursts into the cabin, shouting, "INTRUDER!"

Footsteps pound up stairs, and Jay hops over the banister, onto the person who had just grabbed her wrist. Her pursuer hits his head on the ground, and then falls unconscious

Evie rushes down the stairs, with Carlos right behind her.

Carlos rushes over to help Jay pick the man up and tie him to one of the dining room chairs.

"What are you doing up?!" Evie exclaims.

"Uhhh…" Mal feels guilty for lying.

"We'll talk about this later," Evie says, disappointment seeping into her voice, "Now go up to your room, and stay there, please."

Mal heads up, her head hanging down.

* * *

Mal doesn't in fact, go to her room. She heads to the top of the stairs, and then sits out of sight. There is no way that she's missing this. This man knew her, and she has a feeling that her friends know him.

She listens in to the conversation happening downstairs.

"I don't think she recognizes him," Evie says.

"Yeah, I get that, but why did she forget him in the first place?" Carlos asks.

"It was probably to painful for her. Her subconscious might have decided to bury her memories of what had happened."

"You mean, like what happened to Cora?"

"Pretty much."

"But it happened suddenly," Jay says, "Does that mean that she was triggered?"

"Most likely," Evie says, "But….oh. It was the strawberries, wasn't it. It's my fault."

Mal can hear a sad tone to her voice, and then the shifting of a chair. The next thing she hears is Carlos whispering to her, comforting her.

So….she knew this person? But why would she forget him? She remembered Cora. She was a sweet girl, something that didn't last really long on the Isle. All they knew was that one day, she showed up with deep cuts all along her body. She was snarling, and lashed out at anyone who went near her. She was frightened. After that, she collapsed, and when she woke up, she didn't remember anything.

The same thing happened to her?

Mal took a better look at herself. She could see scratches on her arms and legs, but that wouldn't be enough to make her forget, right?

A groan sounds, and Mal can't resist. She looks around the corner at the man, who is just starting to wake up.

He was….handsome, actually, despite the fact that he was a guard.

The man blinks his eyes open, and looks at the people around him.

"So this is where you were," he growls.

"Ben," Evie says curtly.

"Where's Mal."

"You can't have her."

"Oh?"

"You've already hurt her enough, Mr. High and Mighty King."

Wait, this guy is the King!? Why would Mal know him? How would she? She a villain kid, why would the King of the goody-two-shoes country meet her? She wasn't special. But then, the next words that the King says make her freeze.

"So what?" he says, "She's a witch."

This was obviously the wrong thing to say. Carlos jumps forward, a butter knife in hand, lunging at Ben. Jay loops his arms through Carlos's arms and around his shoulders.

"You bastard," Carlos growls.

Jay pulls Carlos away, giving Evie an apologetic look. He leaves the room, dragging a struggling Carlos, leaving Evie with the man, Ben.

Ben looked smug, until Evie leaned across the table and smacked him across the face, saying, "You _really_ don't want to go there."

Ben rolled his eyes, saying, "So, you a witch to? Are you going to make a coven?"

That was too much for Mal. She was not a witch, and Evie most certainly was not. Evie was sweet, and she wouldn't hurt anyone unless provoked.

Mal jumped down like Jay had done earlier, and started to hit Ben.

"Mal!" Evie shouted, "Stop!"

Mal growled and kept hitting him.

"JAY!" Evie called, "MAL'S HERE!"

Jay rushes into the room and pulls Mal off of Ben, dragging her back. Carlos comes back in and sits himself down in one of the chairs.

Evie turns to Mal and says to her, "I thought I told you to go up to your room."

"I hate being left in the dark!" Mal exclaims, "And that's what you keep doing! When do I get to know what's going on!"

Evie sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose, and says, "Fine. You can stay. But only if you promise not to attack him."

"Fine."

Mal sits herself down in a chair, and glares at Ben. He's looking at Mal strangely and she snaps, "What."

Ben turns to Evie and asks, "Who is this?"

"This is Mal," she replies.

"No it's not."

"Oh yes it is. You broke her."

Ben is completely confused, but he snaps, "Oh really. How could I do that?"

"YOU BROKE HER YOU BASTARD!" Evie yells, causing all in the room to flinch.

"What...what happened?" Mal asks timidley.

Evie rubs her forehead, and then she starts speaking, saying, "Long story short, you fell in love with him, there were many misunderstandings, he almost killed you, and then you forgot."

"What do you mean, misunderstandings," Ben says sharpley, "There were none. She's a witch, plain and simple."

"Jay," Evie sighs, "Knock him out please. I've had enough stupidity from him today."

Jay knock him out, but leaves him tied to the chair.

"Thank you," Evie says, slumping back into her chair.

"I...I fell in love with him?" Mal asks quietly, tears forming in her eyes, "How could I fall in love with such a jerk?"

"Oh, sweetie," Evie says, rushing over to hug her, "He wasn't like this. He's just….confused."

"But…."

"Shhhhh. Forget about him," she says, standing up and leading Mal over to a couch in another room.

Both Carlos and Jay follow. Once the girls are sitting down, Carlos hugs Mal tight, and Jay envelopes them all in a hug.

Mal is quietly crying now, burying her face into Evie's shoulder.

"Mal," Jay says gently, "We're always here for you, okay?"

"Okay," Mal mumbles.

Her upset mind is racing. She fell in love with the King. The King tried to kill her. Does that mean that he never loved her? He's such a jerk right now. She would never fall for someone like that. Was he lying to her the whole time? And what misunderstandings were there? What was there to misunderstand? Was Maleficent involved?

Mal feels drained, both emotionally and physically. All these thoughts are whirling around in her mind, pulling her in different direction. But soon, one by one, these thoughts drift off, and her mind quiets down. She drifts off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Mal shoots awake. She is inside the room upstairs, and Jay, Evie and Carlos are sleeping in the bed beside her. So why did she wake up? Mal can hear footsteps coming up the stairs, making the way to the room she was in. She shakes the other three awake and creeps over to the door.

"Wha..?" Evie asks, eyes still bleary with sleep.

"Shhh," Mal hisses.

Mal picks up the lamp on the dresser and raises it as the door creaks open. A girl with black hair walks in and Mal swings the lamp down. The girl's hand catches the lamp, and Mal growls.

"Wait!" Evie cries," Stop Mal!"

Mal pauses, glaring at Evie and demanding, "Who is she."

"I'm Lonnie," the girl interrupts, "And just so you know, I'm not here for you. I'm here for Ben. I found him, but I guessed if he was here, you guys would be as well."

"How did you find us?" Carlos asks.

"I'm a good tracker. My mom taught me. And also, this is her cabin."

"Fine. But we can't just let you leave."

"Mal!" Evie exclaims.

"You've grown soft," Mal snaps, turning back to Lonnie and asking, "Why should I let you leave."

"Well," Lonnie answers, "Everyone in the kingdom is searching for their King. I can bring him back, say I found him abandoned in the woods. It would get the guards off your tail."

"But Ben would remember."

"Yeah. That is a problem."

For some reason, Mal found herself liking the girl. She didn't know if it was her attitude, or the fact that she was competent. Whatever it was, she liked the girl immensely.

"Do you think if we hit him over the head hard or long enough he'll lose his memory?" Mal asks with a smirk.

"Oh, you are gold," Lonnie replies with a matching smirk.

Mal," Evie sighs, exasperated, "We can't just do that, alright?"

"He's a jerk though."

"Mal."

"Fine. I was just joking."

"Mmmm. Sure you were."

"So, what do we do now?" Lonnie asks.

"You can consult me," a cool voice answers.

Mal whirls around, and she sees Maleficent sitting on the bed.

"Mother," she growls.

"Yes, yes," she says dismissively, waving her hand, "Now that formalities are out of the way, would you be a dear and bring your prisoner to me?"

Mal rolls her eyes, and then jumps out the window, storming off.

"Jay," Evie says, "Go get him."

Jay heads out of the room to go get Ben.

"Ma'am," Evie says, "What are you doing here."

"Despite what you all think, Mal is still my daughter. I will protect her. So," she says, looking at Lonnie, "If you hurt her anymore, I will break you."

Lonnie crosses her arms and stares back, saying, "That is not my intention."

"Whatever. I'll be watching you."

Jay comes back into the room, dragging a struggling Ben with him.

"He woke up," Jay grunted, dodging a kick, "When I started to move him."

Maleficent waves her hand, and Ben went limp. Jay tosses him on the bed, and then Maleficent mutters a chant, throwing a handful of something glittery on him.

"I erased his memory," she announces, "And he'll be out for another hour or two.

"Can you help Mal?" Evie asks.

"Unfortunately, I cannot fix something she has done to herself. But do not worry, she will remember on her own."

"Where were you? You left her."

"I will tell Mal when she remembers. She deserves an answer."

With that, Maleficent walks into the shadows, disappearing.

"I should get moving," Lonnie says, "If you need me, give me a call. You can use the phone here. I'll leave my number beside it."

Lonnie hoists Ben onto her back, and then clomps down the stairs. The door slams behind her as she heads off through the forest. Mal comes up the stairs and walks into the room again. She had been listening from outside the window.

Evie turns to Mal and says, "You'll remember on your own Mal. Isn't that wonderful!"

"But," Mal says quietly, "What if I don't want to remember. If it was so bad I blocked it out, then why would I want to remember?"

"You'd be back!"

"You mean, the other me. You don't like me, you want her."

"Mal," Evie says, taken aback, but Mal leaves again.

Evie sits down on the bed, putting her head between her hands.

"I'll go get her," Carlos says.

He runs after her, following her bobbing head of purple. He catches up to her as she sits sits down besides her without saying anything. If she wants to talk, he'll wait for her to start.

Mal debates on telling Carlos or not. She was always there for him when he needed support, and she knew that she needs to trust him too. But it is hard to start talking. She is afraid that he'd leave her.

"I do remember," she starts out, "I remember bits and pieces, but never the whole thing. But it's horrible. I don't want to remember. But…. none of you want me. Not this me. It's easy to tell."

Her arms cross over her stomach, and she rubs her arms. She's not cold, she just wants a bit of comfort, but not from another person.

"I don't… I don't belong. But still, I can't help it. I don't want to remember. All I know is that it was just pain on top of pain. I don't want that anymore."

She turns to Carlos, and looks at him.

"You won't leave me, right?" she asks pleadingly.

"Never," Carlos answers fiercely, grabbing her hand in a firm grip, "I will never abandon you. I promise."

The nod Mal gives him is minute, but Carlos still sees it.

"You know," he says, "The other day while I was out for a walk, I found a cliff. Do you want to go look?"

"Lead the way," Mal says, standing up.

They walk in a comfortable silence to the cliff and sit down. Mal dangles her legs over the edge, swinging them back and forth. An emerald green forest stretches out before them , the golden sun illuminating everything.

"It's beautiful," Mal whispers.

"It is, isn't it," Carlos says back.


	8. Chapter 8

Mal and Carlos make their way back to the cabin when the sky starts to darken. Mal tugs on Carlos' sleeve, stopping him from entering. Something feels wrong. The lights are off, and there's no sound coming from the cabin.

Mal sneaks around back, Carlos following close behind. They look through the window.

Mal and Jay are tied up.

Ben walks into the room, causing Mal to stiffen.

"You are _all_ going to be executed," Ben says.

Evie glares at Ben.

"Don't give me that look. You deserve it. When Mal gets back, I'm dragging you all back to the capitol, and then executing you one by one, until only Mal is left."

Mal's eyes widen and her head starts pounding. She groans. Why does it hurt? Mal sees snippets of memory.

" _He wants you alive for the... the execution."_

What?

 _She looks up, and through her blurry vision, she sees blue hair._

" _Evie? Tha' you?" she slurs._

Mal doesn't understand.

 _"You lied to me. You betrayed me. Y-you're evil," Ben says from behind her._

When did this happen?

 _The crowd rushes towards her, intent on maiming and killing._

Mal….

 _The guard holding her arms pulls out handcuffs and clasps them around her wrists. He tightens them so that they dig into her bleeding skin, treating her as roughly as he can._

Mal remembers.

He remembers her escape, her imprisonment, and her execution. She remembers. And she remembers Ben.

Something hits her in the head, and she fall unconscious.

* * *

Mal wakes up in a cell. She really needs to stop getting knocked unconscious. I mean, honestly, this is what? The fifth time in a few days? She's tired of it.

"So," she hears a woman say, "You're finally up."

"Mo- Maleficent?!" Mal exclaims.

"Yes, dear."

"How did you end up here? You...you left."

"Unfortunately, I was caught. After the Barrier lifted, my powers backfired on me. They had been repressed for too long, and all I could do was escape. Eventually, your precious _boyfriend_ found me and dragged me back."

"Oh. And, he's not my boyfriend. He's going to kill me too."

"Mmmm. So how do you propose we escape?"

"I...I don't know."

Mal sits back against the side of the cell. She's tired, and there's nothing to do except for sleep in here. She starts to doze off, until yelling startles her back awake.

"LET ME GO!" Lonnie yells.

"Lonnie!" Mal yells.

"Mal?!"

Lonnie struggles against the guards, managing to kick one down and throw off the other. She darts over to the bars, and the other guard runs to drag her back. He pulls on her, but Lonnie grabs onto the bars.

"They're going to be executed," she cries, "You have to save them!"

"Who?"

"You're friends! They're going to die tonight!"

"What?!"

"You have to save them!" Lonnie cries, the guards dragging her away.

Mal stares after her for a moment before running over to the cell window. She looks up. The same platform that was there when she was to be executed was still standing. She looks to the sky. The sun is hanging high in the sky, but the shadows are starting to lengthen. Mal estimates that she has around six hours until sunset.

Heavy footsteps sound, and Mal whirld back around to face the cell door. The King marches into view. Mal glares at him.

"Come on," the King says, "I'm not here to hurt you. We have a...date...tonight."

Mal snarls at him. He's mocking her. She would dearly love to rip his throat out.

Maleficent laughs. "Good luck with that. You'll end up dead."

"Shut it, Witch," Ben snaps, storming away.

Mal paces in her cell. She's helpless. She can't do anything. She turns to Maleficent, asking, "What can I do? What can I do to save them?"

"You're on your own there."

"You're going to let them die?!"

"No, _you_ will. If you don't think of something, they will die because of _you._ "

Mal growls, and keeps pacing.

* * *

The sun is setting. Mal hears armor clinking and she faces the door. The guards are coming to take them away. They march past er door, and come back with Lonnie and Maleficent. Then they grab her, and march her up the stairs and to the courtyard. On the platform are Evie, Carlos and Jay. Maleficent and Lonnie are forced up to join them.

Mal, on the other hand, is marched up to the royal platform, and forced to kneel at the King's feet.

"Hello, _dear_ ," he snears.

Mal swears at him.

"That's not nice, _sweetheart_.

Mal is about to retort, but the crowd starts cheering, and Mal looks back at the platform. The executioners have appeared, and they are marching up towards her friends. She starts to panic.

The cheering grows louder, and Mal tries to run to them, but chains around her wrists keep her in place. She tugs at them, but they don't give. Her wrists start to bleed.

The executioners are raising their axes. Mal starts to panic. The cheer from the crowd is deafening. Or maybe she's shutting down now.

A voice cuts through the noise.

"USE YOUR MAGIC YOU DIMWIT!" Mal hears.

Magic. Of course. Mal almost smacks her forehead. Magic got her into this, so magic can get her out of it.

A hand clamps over her mouth, preventing her from chanting, but Mal bites it. She opens her mouth, and… her mind blanks. She doesn't have her spell book.

"STOP GAPING YOU IDIOT GIRL AND CHANT!"

Mal blinks, and then she starts chanting. She'll make it up. It has to work. It has to.

Mal chants:

"Let us leave, let us go,

Let us escape away from this show."

The surroundings blur around her, and then she collapses on a wooden floor. She gets up and looks at her surroundings. They're back in the cabin. She spots her friends, and Maleficent. They're safe.

She almost cries in relief.

"We're safe," Mal breathes.

"That was cool," Lonnie says, standing up.

Jay breaks the ropes around his wrists, saying, "You think they would have used something stronger. I'll go get something to cut these ropes."

"Are you guys okay?" Mal asks, worried.

"Yeah," Evie says, "We're fine. We were worried about _you_."

"I'm good now. I have my memories back."

Jay walks into the room and cuts the ropes off of Evie, and the Carlos, and then Lonnie, and then Maleficent. Then he walks over to Mal, who hold out the handcuffs, and he smashes the knife down on the links. It takes a few tries, but after a few strong swings, the links give. "We're going to have to pick the locks," Jay says, frowning at the cuffs.

"I'll be fine for now," Mal says, stretching. "So what now?"

"I'm heading back to the Isle," Maleficent says, "It's actually safer there, with all the villains. These _heroes_ are far more vicious. It'll be a gamble to see if I can get there before the Barrier is put back up."

"Actually," Lonnie says, lifting up Fairy Godmother's wand, "I swiped this, which is why I ended up in the prison. Thee guards are absolutely useless at searches."

"Oh, Lonnie," Mal breathes, "You are amazing."

"Yeah I am!"

"So," Mal asks, turning to face everyone, "Where to now?"

"You take the lead," Carlos says, "You know that we'll follow you wherever you go."

"Actually," Lonnie cuts in, "Can we head to China? I need to let mom know what happened. And grab some weapons. The one I had were confisticated."

"Alright then." Mal lifts the wand. "China it is."

She waves the wand, and a purple mist covers them. When it dissipates, they are gone.


	9. Chapter 9

Ben sighs, looking out across the ballroom. They shouldn't be having a ball, when the war with China is raging on, but his fianceé was going to be here. They were to be married, in hopes that they could work together to defeat China, and take out Queen Mulan. She is fierce, and their warriors are strong, and she made him regret putting Lonnie up for execution. As well as Lonnie's friends.

Mal….

Ban hadn't seen the Witch in five years. She had simply disappeared, taking her friends with her. Ben searched high and low, intent on eliminating her, but she was not to be found. She was simply gone.

Ben shakes his head. That thing was as good as dead to him. He hates her. After all that she did to him…

"Presenting Princess Cora," an announcer calls out.

Princess Cora was from Wonderland originally, the daughter of the Red Queen, but such a sweet girl should not be condemned to prison. Since the wand had not been found, many villains escaped from the Isle, but they had been rounded up and sent to prison. They would have stormed the Isle, but Maleficent was back in power, and stronger than ever. They were unable to defeat her.

Princess Cora was found by Queen Rapunzel, crying and in tatters, and the Queen could not resist and took her in. King Flinn could not resist the Queen, so Cora became part of their family, the heir to the throne.

And now, she is engaged to him, and this is their first meeting.

She sweeps down the stairs, in a royal purple dress, her hair piled high on her head. She looks beautiful. Ben walks over.

"Princess," he says, bowing, "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Princess Cora says, curtsying.

"Would you dance?"

"Of course."

They waltz across the room, twirling gracefully across the floor. The song dies down, and Ben excuses himself, going over to grab drinks. When he walks back over, he sees Princess Cora over by the balcony, talking to a white haired woman. The woman wore a green dress.

"It's good to know you're safe," the woman says, "And you're lucky to have him."

"But-"

"Shh. I'll be fine."

Ben clears his throat, and Princess Cora turns, exclaiming, "King Ben!"

"Who is this?" he asks, curious, "You two seem to know each other."

"We're old acquaintances," Princess Cora says.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Anyhow, she would like to talk to you."

Princess Cora leaves, and the woman turns around. His breath catches in his throat. The green dress enhances the woman's eyes, making them a dark green, like an emerald. Ben mentally shakes his head. He has Cora, and he can tell that they'll be happy.

"Hello, King Ben," the woman says, a strange familiarity attached to his name.

"Do I know you?" the King asks.

The woman shakes her head.

"May I have a name?"

"I would rather keep that to myself, your Majesty. This is my last visit to this country, and then I plan on leaving for good."

"Then why do you keep returning?"

The woman shrugs, saying, "I have an … attachment to someone here."

"Then why do you not go see him?"

"I would, but he has already moved on. I…. I just need to bring things to a close."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Ben says uncomfortable.

"It's alright. What do you think of Cora?" she asks, changing the subject.

"She's wonderful."

"Then hang on to her. You never know what will happen."

"Are you threatening us?"

"No. Just giving you advice. I suddenly lost everything, except for my friends. I wish I would have held on tighter."

"Sor-"

"Don't apologize. I've gotten my closure, so if you'll excuse me, your Majesty."

"Must you go?" Ben asks.

He thinks he knows her.

"I'm afraid I must. Thank you for hosting," the woman says, curtsying.

"Wait," Ben says, "Who are you?"

The woman looks at him, her eyes full of anguish, and she whispers, "Goodbye, Ben."

She turns and glides away, her long, white hair billowing out behind her. Four other guests abandon what they are doing and follow her out. She ascends the stairs, and when she reaches the top, she turns back to look at Ben, her green eyes burning into him. Then she turns and walks out.

For a moment, Ben thinks he sees purple hair and dress on the woman, and he shakes his head. That's impossible. It should be. Right?

He walks, almost running, to the doors, darting outside.

Rain patters softly on the pavement.

He stares into the darkness.

.

.

.

.

.

.

No one is there.

* * *

A/N: And that's it. Thanks for reading. Signing off, MK19


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